Lord, I Believeਨਮੂਨਾ

I believe . . . God delights in me

He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

When you picture God looking at you, what expression do you imagine?

For much of my Christian life, I pictured God’s loving eyes displaying a hint of disappointment. “Good try, Honey,” I could almost hear Him say.I imagined a benevolent smile tag-teaming with a quiet sigh. Bless her heart. Someday she’ll get it right. Most days, the smile never reached His eyes. You nailed it today, but you’llmess up tomorrow. I know you will. And I did.

On really bad days, when I knew my sin had hurt Him, those all-seeing eyes shimmered with tears.

I knew Jesus died to pay for my sins, but I also knew He expected something of me now that I was a Christian. In my mind, this something was perfect behavior. Whenever I fell short of this impossible standard, I felt God’s disappointment. My spirit shriveled under His imagined disapproval.

Then I had grandchildren. Four perfect grandchildren.

Every time I think of them, I smile. Sometimes my husband catches me grinning and asks, “What are you smiling about?”

“The grandbabies,” I say, and he understands.

Funny thing about grandchildren. They’re perfect, even when they’re not.

One is prone to theatrics. When she loses a game, she raises her voice in protest and collapses in a heap. Another dumps the entire bin of Beanie Babies in the middle of my floor—every time—and argues about cleaning them up. One can spill a drink almost before I finish pouring it. The last wants whatever toy the other sibling is playing with, even if he set it aside just two minutes ago.

Not much surprises me about my grandchildren. I know they’re immature, sometimes selfish, and messy—very messy. But they’re my grandchildren. And I delight in them.

I’m learning God feels this way about us. He knows we’re immature, often selfish, and very messy. But we’re His children. He delights in us.

We’re the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8). More valuable than the birds (Matthew 10:31). So loved that He sacrificed His only Son (Romans 5:8).

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you . . . [and] will rejoice over you with singing” (Zechariah 3:17, emphasis added).

Do I want my grandchildren to grow in maturity and behavior? Of course. But this doesn’t change my affection for them.

Does God want me to grow in maturity and behavior? You bet. But my imperfections don’t keep Him from delighting in me.

Stop a minute and think of the person you love most.

Now, look at your smile in the mirror.

This is what God looks like when He thinks of you.

Picture this.

Embrace the Truth: God delights in us.

Declare Your Faith: Lord, I believethe joy you feel in me has nothing to do with my performance. You delight in me because I’m your child. And You not only love me, you like me. Help me receive this and live in light of it. Silence the voices of condemnation and insecurity I often feel. Help me rest in the security of your exuberant, joy-filled love. Amen.